Latin American and Latinx Stud...

Latin American and Latinx Studies Minor

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Enhance your career with a minor in Latin American and Latinx studies.

The minor in Latin American and Latinx studies offers an interdisciplinary approach that allows you to develop a better appreciation for and understanding of multifaceted aspects central to contemporary and past Latin American societies and/or to Latinx communities in the US. You will consider their histories, literatures, and cultural knowledge; identity, Latinidad, and diaspora; systems of power and privilege; the arts—visual, performing, and/or alternative manifestations—as mechanisms to express identity, ideology, or resistance; and socio-political processes, among other topics. Due to its nature, the minor in Latin American and Latinx studies also provides new opportunities for service learning and community engagement. Courses are taught in English unless noted otherwise.

Explore sample courses in this program.

LA-150 Introduction to Latinx Cultures in the US

Students examine issues of language, identity, culture, and immigration among Latinx communities and explore the history of Latin American diaspora communities to identify cultural traits and identity marks. By discussing these topics, students analyze the particular significance and contribution of Latinx people and their relationship with their countries of origin. In order to achieve that goal, students examine and compare different types of sources including official documents, media releases, films, and podcasts. The class is conducted in English.
3 credits

LA-350 Immigration, Dreamers, and Latinx Youth Issues

Students explore issues regarding Latinx immigration, citizenship, and the fate of Latinx youth in the US. Students examine US immigration policies and reforms, focusing on Latinx populations and the current immigration debate. Through newspaper articles, scholarly articles, and films, students analyze and discuss relevant topics such as constitutional regulations related to documented and undocumented Latinx immigrants, visa and green card issues, and access to education for young Latinx populations, including DREAMers and DACA students. Class discussions include legal, economic, and political issues related to immigration policies and the impact these have on youth. The class is conducted in English.
3 credits

LA-355 Latin American Fiction

This course familiarizes students with Latin American works of fiction and provides them with an overview of literature written throughout the region during the 20th century. The course focuses on narrative and discusses a variety of literary movements, aesthetics, and techniques such as realism, fantastic literature, magical realism, crime fiction, and postmodernism. Authors include Horacio Quiroga, María Luisa Bombal, Gabriel García Márquez, Adolfo Bioy Casares, Julio Cortázar, Rosario Ferré, and Mario Vargas Llosa, among others. The class is conducted in English.
3 credits

LA-360 Survey of Latin American Cinema

Organized both chronologically and nationally, the course focuses on clusters of Latin American films (both feature and documentary) that have intervened in a series of social and cultural debates: colonization, migration, modernity, tradition, inequality, national utopias, etc. Students develop their skills in film analysis as they examine the specific role of film in representing, contesting, or defining questions of national, personal, and cultural identity in the region. Class discussions and assignments familiarize students with the characteristics of the distinct film aesthetics and socio-political and cultural contexts in which these works were produced. The class is conducted in English.
3 credits

SP-101 Beginning Spanish I

Basic oral and written proficiency for daily communication; may be taken as a self-contained unit or as a basis for further development. Audio-visual method.
3 credits

SP-102 Beginning Spanish II

Continuation of Beginning Spanish I.
3 credits

SP-210 Intermediate Spanish I

Review of language constructions and everyday vocabulary at a slighter faster pace than an elementary course. Grammar review starts with the most basic structures, such as present, preterite, and imperfect tenses; ser/estar; por/para; command forms; and pronouns, and ends with present subjunctive. Vocabulary fields include feelings and emotions, urban living, family relationships, the media, and the environment. Readings, videos, and short films related to different Spanish-speaking countries add a cultural component to the course.
3 credits

SP-293 Health and the Latino Community

Students explore the ways in which language and culture shape the approach to health and health care experiences of Latinos in the US and the factors that contribute to health disparities among this group (social, cultural, economic, environmental, and biological). Students examine how health outcomes and risk factors are arrayed across different generations. Language barriers and sociolinguistic issues are also studied. Students identify and discuss causes of health inequities, survey major Latino health issues, and analyze the current and future context of Latino health and health care in the US.
3 credits

SP-321 Advanced Spanish Composition I

Facility in prose writing, study of style of selected authors, variety of expression through word discrimination, and advanced grammatical structures.
3 credits

SP-323 Advanced Spanish Conversation Through Film

The main objective of this course is to develop the student’s oral proficiency and communication skills while building on vocabulary and learning about different aspects of the Hispanic cultural world with a special emphasis on immigration issues. The class format is mainly based on group/pair discussions and debates in which students ask questions, express their views, elaborate on their ideas, and defend them by providing supporting examples drawn from their own experiences, analysis, or comparisons.
3 credits

SP-332 Cultures of Latin America

Introduction to the cultures and history of Latin America from pre-Columbian times to the present day. This course introduces students to colonial, modern, and contemporary cultural, historical, and political issues that influenced the development of Latin American identities. The course is taught in Spanish.
3 credits

SP-333 Hispanic Presence in US

Socio-cultural study of Hispanics in the United States, with a focus on major contemporary issues. Conducted in Spanish.
3 credits

SP-346 Latin American Theater

Exploration of the historical and aesthetic development of Latin American theater, focusing upon the particular factors that distinguish this theater from the Western European tradition. Students analyze dramatic texts (from Argentina, Uruguay, Perú, México, Puerto Rico, Chile, Cuba, and Colombia), performances, and critical and theoretical perspectives to engage with the following questions: How does theater create and represent social and political transformation? How might we reevaluate civic responsibility and accountability through the study of audience? What are the major innovations in Latin American theater and performance in the 20th and 21st centuries?
3 credits

SP-347 Latin American Colonial Literature

This course examines the colonial history of the American continent as interpreted through the various historical accounts written by eyewitnesses of the conquest. The course covers 2 centuries of writings from the late 15th to the 17th century and examines many historical accounts of the conquest, letters, documents, poetry, and other historical artifacts to learn of the social, political, religious, and economic significance of the colonial era. It combines an overview of the political economy of the region over 3 centuries with a study of how social groups interacted among themselves and with imperial rule over time.
3 credits

SP-349 Spanish-American Literature

Representative works from South and Central American authors from the colonial period to the present.
3 credits

SP-390 Spanish for Native Speakers

This course is designed for native or heritage speakers of Spanish who have oral proficiency but may not have received formal training in the language. These students were raised speaking Spanish at home. Therefore, this course is designed to work with the language base students already possess. All of 4 language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) are emphasized; however, the purpose of the course is to develop reading and writing skills through cultural-related activities.
3 credits

HI-213 Colonial Latin America

The people of Latin America from pre-Columbian societies to the wars for independence, focusing on race, sex, and power.
3 credits

HI-214 Modern Latin America

The people of Latin America from independence to the present, focusing on race, sex, and power.
3 credits

HI-226 Latin American History through Film

This course explores how filmmakers have portrayed Latin American history in their movies.
3 credits

HI-230 Nicaragua, the US, and the World

The course examines the impact of globalization and imperialism on the lives of Nicaraguans at home and in their diasporic communities.
3 credits

HI-233 History of Latin America

The Spanish conquest, colonial institutions, wars of independence, and development of Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina.
3 credits

HI-247 Central America and the Caribbean

This survey examines the political, cultural, and social history of Central America and the Caribbean from pre-Columbian times to the present with an emphasis on the 20th century.
3 credits

HI-267 US-Latin American Relations

This course analyzes the political, economic, social, and cultural impact of the interactions between and among the governments and people of the US and Latin America.
3 credits

HI-333 Women in Latin America

Examines the roles of women in diverse societies including Mexico, Brazil, and Caribbean nations. Emphasis on the modern period.
3 credits

PO-222 Latin American Politics

This course provides a comparative study of the government and politics of contemporary Latin America. It explores the political systems of various countries as well as how political dynamics such as democratization, authoritarianism, and crisis situations have affected political, economic, and social policies throughout the region.
3 credits

SO-228 Latina-Latino Experiences in the US and the World

This course surveys current theoretical approaches used to explain Latina/o experiences and provides an empirical overview of how social institutions affect the daily lives of Latinas and Latinos in the US and the world.
3 credits

SO-307 Puerto Rican Diaspora

This course surveys a wide range of Puerto Rican experiences and provides an overview of how social structures shape the daily lives of Puerto Ricans in the United States. Through a focus on diasporas, the course centers on migration as a key experience within Puerto Rican imaginaries. The course explores the sociological themes of identity, race, ethnicity, language, gender, sexuality, social class, and stratification through the lens of Puerto Rican struggle and resistance. Puerto Rican diasporic communities are examined at the intersections of colonialism, modernity, and neoliberal globalization.
3 credits

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